Seasonal Produce Guides

Apricots – with all the melons and berries bursting onto the markets, don’t forget about the stone fruits, especially apricots. These diminutive, smooth fruits often get overlooked, and there’s more to do with them aside from eating out of hand or using in fruit salads, in both sweet and savory preparations. Here are a few: more→

Blueberries: Aside from being incredibly delicious, it’s become common knowledge that blueberries are also among the most nutritious fruits—and actually, one of the most nutritious foods, period.Doing anything other than eating in-season blueberries out of hand seems like gilding the lily. But there are lots of great ways to use them; you’ll find some simple ideas in inA Bounty of Blueberries. And more about how good they are for you in 5 Top Health Benefits of Blueberries. Here are a few easy recipes for using blueberries: more→

Collard greens can look pretty intimidating — they range from large to gigantic, and look like they’d take hours to prep and even longer to cook. But this is totally not the case. If you know how to tame them, they’re easily prepped and very quickly cooked. They’re a boon to the plant-based diet, as they’re a fantastic source of calcium (better than kale) and rich in vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. Forget about the old way of cooking them in a bit pot of boiling water. That way, collards lose color, flavor, and nutrients. Prepping them with this easier, more contemporary technique preserves all that is great about collards. more→

OVEN “FRIES”: Use one large or two medium potatoes per person (preferably red-skinned, Yukon gold, or other firm-fleshed variety). Peel the potatoes and cut them into long, 1/2-inch thick fry-shaped strips. Combine them in a large mixing bowl with a modest amount of light olive oil and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with a little salt. Transfer to a nonstick baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425º F. oven, stirring gently every 10 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve at once. Note, this is also an excellent way to serve sweet potatoes. more→

When zucchini is abundant in the garden or farm market, you can’t have too many ways to use it. This page will serve you well. Though zucchini isn’t a super nutritious vegetable, it is a versatile one, and most people, even the picky eaters, tend to enjoy it. Photo above is Zucchini with Mint; photo by Hannah Kaminsky.more→

Classified as a berry, the pomegranate is native to Persia and is one of the oldest known fruits. used for food as well as medicinally for centuries. Its prime season in most parts of the world is September through January. This slightly tart yet sweet berry takes some effort to prepare and eat — as basically, it’s a collection of lots of seeds, but with all of its health benefits, you may find it worth your while. Besides the whole, fresh fruit you can purchase pomegranate juice, and even pomegranate oil. more→

Contributed by Zel Allen. Kohlrabi, once the favored vegetable of European nobles and peasants alike, has fallen off the veggie pop charts. However, we predict a comeback for this neglected member of the Brassica oleracea family, more commonly called the cabbage family. Some people have mistakenly labeled kohlrabi a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. This is understandable, since both are members of the brassica family, but they are not of the same variety. more→

Broccoli may have lost a bit of its standing in the world of cruciferous veggies now that kale has taken over this world, but it’s still a powerhouse veggie by all standards. A particularly rich source of Vitamins C and K, it’s also a great source of dietary fiber and numerous other vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. Best of all, once you know how to tease out its best qualities, it’s one of the tastiest and most versatile green veggies you’ll welcome into your kitchen. Here are some VegKitchen favorites.